When I started this project, I thought that the best way to go about it was to avoid temptation by not going to the mall. That, however, proved impossible in Singapore, unless I confine myself within the boundaries of the home and the office.

I don't think I even managed to reduce my window-shopping excursions - in fact they might have been more frequent because I have to go through several malls to get home from my Barre classes - but in hindsight I actually find mall visits to be a non-factor, which is kinda surprising, no?

As it turns out, asking the question "do I really want this to be my only purchase this month?" is a good way to send a prospective purchase flying right back into the shelf. All those mental gymnastic skills I have developed trying to convince myself that I simply must buy something have now been refocused into doing the exact opposite. It's kinda nice. ^^

I did end up getting two things this month, but only because I had some credit card rewards to use up.

First is the Dior Nude Air Serum, which I figured would make a good everyday foundation; and since I had some credits left I also got the Tom Ford brow sculptor because I've heard good things, and the prospect of using only a single product for my brows is very intriguing to me. I'm still in the process of figuring out how I feel about them, but so far so good.

Life has been especially hectic, very much so the last couple of months, and I imagine it would only intensify as the year comes to an end. It's a good kind of hectic, though, so I'm not complaining, but for a while there I did feel like I spread myself a bit too thin - between the wedding planning and trying to get back into shape and teaching myself Copperplate calligraphy and Japanese there was very little breathing room left.

Thankfully I was able to hit pause on all the discombobulation when Abe decided to come here to celebrate his birthday weekend. ^^

I came across the New Majestic Hotel as I was looking for alternative options to the bogstandard hotel room. Awesome planners that we are, we only started looking for hotels a good week before he was set to arrive, and room rates have skyrocketed into crazy territory. The name reminds me of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, although one can only hope it's not in the same state of disrepair.

As it turns out, I've been passing by the hotel's facade every single week on my way to German class! I've taken a couple of peeks as well, and I've always assumed it was an art gallery. Nevermind that there is a sign that says "hotel", but in my defense, right across our house is a hardware store that is actually a cafe, and down the road there is a drugstore that is actually a bar. You just never know in this country.

Brought to you by the same folks behind Wanderlust (which I have also been wanting to try out), the New Majestic Hotel belongs to this new breed of upscale accommodations that are very design-centric - each room has its own unique concept and is filled with an eclectic mix of quirky furniture and art installations. I am nowhere near the level of hip required to fully appreciate something like this, but I was excited to try it out just the same.

Our room's theme was "Fly Away", which I assume has to do with the bird decals in the living room that went all the way up to the loft bedroom. I was a bit apprehensive when we entered because I didn't know what it was going to look like and I wasn't sure if Abe was going to like it, but his immediate reaction was, "Why didn't we check-in earlier!?!"

I'm pretty sure I let out a squeal when I saw the bathroom. Everything I saw I loved - the rain showerhead, the fluffy "teddy bear" robes, and the toiletries from Kiehl's (!!!). Totally duplicating this in my future home. Well, except for the creepy-slash-exhibitionist porthole that looks out into the hallway. Really not sure what that's about, but in the context of the other bathrooms in this place - one room has two bathtubs right smack in the middle of the living area, other rooms have bathtubs located outside, like, in the wild, and there is at least one room where the shower is in what can only be described as an aquarium in full view of the living room - it's quite tame, really.

So I guess what I'm saying is, you should only book a room here with people you are comfortable seeing naked. And not just naked naked - showering naked. I confess I haven't even given so much as a single thought to what I look like while bathing until I set foot in this hotel.

And if all that public bathing is not exhibitionist slash creepy enough for you, there is also the swimming pool with portholes that look down into the restaurant below. Yep.

Anyway. Moving on to less... controversial stuff.

I find that more often than not it's the small things that really elevates a hotel experience away from the norm. I'm not the fussiest person in the world, but when a hotel charges me an arm and a leg for a night's stay I do expect a little bit more than just 3-in-1 coffee packets. The sad thing is, this happens more often than it should, which is why this Nespresso machine, with capsules that get restocked every morning, was such a welcome sight.

All non-alcoholic drinks in the fully-stocked minibar were free as well! We ended up conducting a "blind taste test" to see if I could tell the difference between full-fat Coke and Coke Zero, or if it's all in the mind (it's not).

The highlight, I must say, is the complimentary smartphone, which you are free to take along with you as you go out and about. Local calls are free, and more importantly, data is free, and you can share it with other devices as well (even I leeched from it because I have exceeded my data cap).

Judging by how reluctant we were to check-out, I think it's safe to say this whole staycation thing has been a tremendous success. Definitely looking forward to exploring the other rooms next time.